I Have HCV...

Today is still Saturday, March 7th, 2009 and it is now 4:42 AM here in the Philippines.

CONTINUATION...

So, I take my Pegasys (Interferon) as a SC (subcutaneous) injection, every Thursday morning. the syrettes are preloaded, and have to be kept cold, which presents a problem if the electricity goes out, and so we always have to maintain vigliance.

The biggest problem is the blood work. Aside from the usual Viral Loads, etc. there are some serious side effects like anemia which need to be kept in check.

There are some very capable blood labs here, although on more northern islands. However, none that have any experience whatsoever with HCV (Hep-C). So, every 3 weeks I am to ship 3 vials of blood via FedEx which is no mean feat! First I need all the permits to ship HazMat, as well as all the other nonsense, then have to go to Butuan (1.5 hours) to use the FedEx contracor , nd so on and so forth. I get my results back via the internet beause of the obvious epxense.

It costs me 140 US for each shipment of blood.

I have Genome III, which is not usually found in the US, but common in the Mid-East where I contracted it. I am not sure exactly when I caught it, but it had to be during one of my two war wounds, so before I was 18. I am now 42, and ergo have had it for 24 years!

Genome III has an 80% cure rate, and so I am doing my best. If I even push down my viral load I will be satisfied. I do not even begin to hope for a total cure!

I had just began getting scarring on my liver before I left to come home after the summer. I also have Fatty Liver which is common with Genome III, and the treatment should also address that.

It is not sexual transmitable, so it has not impacted my lif ein any great way, except it has at times made me over-tired but I am well disciplined (thank you IDF!) ad manage to carry on.

I was diagnosed in 1991, 2 years or so after they first dicsovered the disease. Prior to its discovery it was labeled "Hep Non-A, Non-B." I had gotten ready to leave active suty in the army and on my blood workup I was diagnosed. I received a form letter and I was terrified knowing it meant a serious condition. When I read the letter i was laughing because I had already caught Hep-A, in the field.

Hep-A is from fecal matter and of course in th army you drink all kinds of nasty water, eat nasty foods. I had Dysentery at least twice, mumps, and a few diseases they could not accurately diagnosed. the god thing is that once you contract Hep-A you are ever after immune.

Hep-B is from bodily fluids and I have never contracted that one, but did undergo the tiple vaccination for it which supposeldy leaves me immune.

Today we sent my blood sample, which will be given a sensitive test for accurate Viral Load, and which will tell us hether or not it will be able to cure me. again, I am not hoping but at the very least it istill a positive move (the meds).

One of the big side effects from the meds is depression. I have never had depression, but I have been feeling blue over the last week or two, mostly over Rizza. I do not want to get into it because it is not easy to talk about but I do question myself alot.

We Jews do not believe in romantic love, and yet we do believ in "Soul Mates." We believe that before G-D created humans HE created every soul that will ever exist on Earth. HE then divided each soul into male and female halves. Ever after, sometimes taking multiple lives, these halves seek one another out, and when they unite it is true love!

How can we not believe in love but believe in that compeltely fufillment? Perhaps saying we do not believe in love is inaccurate. We believe "love" is not "bells and whistles" but the bond that grows after long cohabitacion, enduring life's many trials and riasing children together.

Still, we know love does exist, as it did with our ancestors like King David. He killed for love!I believe love exists! Yet I do not think I have ever truly felt it and I am 42! I have lived an extremely colourful and varied life, but for what? Anyway, enough blah and besides, if Mom Or Rizza read this I will have hell to pay but what good is a Blog if I cannot be open with it, yes?

I found some videos on Youtube, showing my village that I will post in case anybody ever gets curious about what it really looks like. I know that I have been promising new pics for a while but I procastinate so much. At least i found the videso, ighT?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozKQU_FfPug

It is a quick 30 odd second clip on the main drag in the village (Roxas is the name of the street but that is it, not Roxas Ave, etc., jut "Roxas"). It shows the new Jollibee we got last year, that I have talked about (our equivalent to a McDonals although McDonals does have sites here as well albeit with localised menus. Mmmmm mmm good! RICE BURGERS yikes...). If one was able to look towards the left from Jollibee they would see our store "Summer Rain" which I have talked about. It is the one now run by Uncle Leo but first run by Dad and Mom when they gt married. Rizza was born in back of that store!

Have a great clip, 8 minutes long that shows the MILF anfd the army, without taking sides, the first 4 minutes are still shots but the last half is combat footage from Mindanao.


The 2 songs are local, with the second song being a smash hit that was used last year for an even more opular rap song.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gowsU7xweUE


The last clip I wished to post is having problems with the url so I will have to get to it next entry (yes, I know you are SO disappointed), it is kind of aggravating (to me). An anti-Ilaga propaganda piece by al Jazeera, anti-Bisaya, anti-Illongo and so forth. Total bullshit but interesting footage none the less.

I will close on that note...
 
Although I am not religious (or Jewish by ancestry) I share your views that building a life together is more important than blinding romantic love. When my beloved and I experience severe tests, it is then that I look back to the commitment I have to making things work. The acceptance that the efforts we make to improve ourselves and each other, even if they do not result in "happily ever after" kept us together in crazy times.

Your blog is, of course, a safe space; nothing you say here should be held against you. I admire your candor and enjoy reading about your most interesting life. I keep a blog off of BL in which I have been very candid because I can restrict who reads it! I hope your health continues to hold up and that life in Mindanao gets more peaceful; the former seems more likely than the latter. We have two Jollibees in my area though I have yet to go as I don't really eat any fast food. The one in Daly City (which has an enormous population from the Philippines) is always MOBBED when I drive by.

Keep on writing, you already know you lead an interesting life, but also you are a very good storyteller. I look forward to your entries.
 
Ha! i did not even know that they had Jollibee out of the Philippines but it would certainly make alot of sense seeing as how California is home to so many Filipinos in the US. I absolutely hate the place although I have to admit that once they opned it here last spring, I was eating the meatloaf/soypattie with brown gravy that ehy have since i was sick to deathj of all the salt water seafood that Bisayans eat here. Boiled (not steamed) white rice, saltwater fish and bitter melon fried with scambled egg. Yikes.

Anyway, things suck even more now but I am tired of even talking about it , although I hate to admit I am starting to think about just moving myself to Cambodia for good. I do not have children with Rizza, but Bisaya women only marry once, or perhaps once more if widowed. Divorce is not even legal in this country (I admire them for that). I do not know that I am even capable of love but I am just hitting 42, and I find myself thinking about alot of things lately. Do not know if its the interferon/Ribivarin, or only me entering a Mid-Life Crisis of sorts. Who can say? Anyway, thanks for the kind words.
 
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